by Mary Wine
He took one long-legged stride toward her. The hair on her nape stood up. But it wasn't in fear.
At least not completely. Excitement clenched her belly.
"Be careful what you label me, Lorena. I might very well be in the mood to accommodate you. I haven't been back on land long enough for civilization to settle into me very deep."
"Do you plan then to apologize once you impose your will on me again? Somehow I believe tonight the situation is not so dire." Her skirts rustled again when her pace increased. With a huff she slapped the front of the dress. "I did not agree to marry you. I do not know what your plan is, announcing it to your friends and family. Indeed I fail to understand you."
He growled. The sound was low and rough, betraying just how frayed his temper was. "I plan to discover just why you are so opposed to marrying me."
The distance between them was only an illusion of safety. Warren shattered that with two steps.
He pulled her into his embrace, her hands barely having time to lift up before being trapped between their bodies. Being so close to him sent panic through her. Her reason was already
dissolving with the first hint of his scent.
"You don't want to marry me. It's only your conscience driving you to make the offer." Her words sounded hurt but she couldn't hold back the emotion. It bubbled up and out of her, her body shaking with it.
"And you believe Mordaunt held affection for you?"
Now he sounded angry. But his words struck her as amusing, and she couldn't contain the small laugh that got past her lips.
"If the man knows the meaning of the word in relationship to another human being, I would be surprised." She sighed, her memory offering up an image of the lines of men suffering under the harsh tropical sun. "I understand very well he is more interested in my dowry than myself."
Which meant he'd likely turn to one of her sisters if she failed to go back to Northfleet and warn them. That idea distracted her from her anger. There was suddenly more at stake than just her desire to avoid pity.
She shuddered when his fingertips stroked her cheek.
"I assure you, madam, I understand the meaning of the word in relationship to you."
His mouth silenced any reply. But she really didn't have one. All of the heat swirling inside her leapt toward that kiss. The hands she'd
flattened on top of his chest to push him back, curling into the lapels of his jacket to hold him closer. She was hungry for his kiss. Starving for the touch of his skin against her own.
Warren didn't disappoint her. His mouth took command of hers. Demanding submission, but she didn't comply. Her lips moved beneath his, countering his kiss. He pressed her to open her jaw, one hand capturing the back of her head to hold her still. The moment she allowed it, his tongue swept deep inside her mouth to tease and tangle with her own.
She shivered, her body all too aware of what other part of him might enter her. But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough to be had. She sent her tongue along his, dancing and toying with him while she rose onto her toes to reach him better. She wanted to push him, just like he did her.
Needed to know she wasn't the only one suffering from the insanity that gripped her whenever they touched.
He tore his lips away from hers, and his breathing was rough. The fingers gripping her head tightened while his eyes narrowed.
"Maybe there is only one way you and I can deal with one another."
He released her. But her freedom was short. He gripped one of her wrists and bent one knee to lower his shoulder to her waist. With a swift tug on her arm he pulled her right over his shoulder.
"Warren—" Her throat tightened when he straightened up and the ground looked too far away to risk being dropped.
He moved through the garden impossibly fast, his boots making only the barest sound on the
pavement. The blood rushed to her head while the hard shoulder she was bent over made
breathing difficult because her corset stays refused to bend.
"Put me down..."
Her tone lacked any true insistence. He ignored her, slipping into the house through a side door.
The stairwell he used was dark, but he'd carried her up it before she really gained any true picture of where they were going. His pace was so quick her body began to sway, making her dizzy. She reached for him, trying to grip his waist with her arms to fend off nausea. Her eyes closed in reflex, the ground moving too much for her to bear seeing anymore.
A door opened and closed. A few more strides and her body was dumped like a sack of grain.
But she landed on something soft. There was a faint groaning of rope and she opened her eyes to see a wide canopy above her.
"Warren..."
This time her tone was more incensed but also breathless.
"I do assure you, Lorena, my proposal of marriage is driven by much more than a guilty conscience." He tossed his coat and cravat across a chair before ripping into the buttons on his shirt. His expression was harsh, a muscle along his jaw line ticking. Pushing her hands into the bedding, she sat up. That keen stare hinted at just how dangerous he could be when the situation warranted it. She truly had pushed him past his patience.
A part of her enjoyed knowing it.
Right or wrong didn't seem to have any meaning at the moment. There was only the growing
need to press against him, to allow him to take what he wanted because it would give her the chance to meet him halfway. Her throat was tight, any words stuck while she watched him finish the chore of disrobing. He pulled every last stitch of clothing off without a hint of concern for being nude. Quite the opposite really. He shook his head, the tie holding his hair falling down his back to allow the strands free. There was something wild about him. The way he stood proudly displaying his body was primitive and it touched an equal desire deep inside her.
"I didn't lie with you in order to gain anything. Even marriage. Society might expect it but I don't," she insisted as she stood. There was a rustle from her silk skirts as she moved away from the bed.
Something flashed across his eyes. He froze for a moment, indecision on his face. "It matters to you?"
The disbelief in his tone hardened her resolve. It cut through the need flickering to life along her skin. It gave her the strength to look him in the eye instead of allowing her gaze to slip down his body to where his cock already thrust out.
"Yes. I meant what I said, Warren. I was glad to have assisted you and your brothers home.
Besides, I have sisters back in Northfleet. I
must return home before my stepfather sends one of them to Bermuda."
He closed the gap between them. She backed up, intensely aware of how warm he was, how hard he was. Her body felt soft and made to fit against his. Once again the desire to touch him was pushing all reason aside, like she'd never had another thought except to lie with him. It was so tempting to just let him decide matters for her, but it was also the coward's way.
He cupped her face, his palms gently cradling her cheeks. "I'll take care of your sisters too."
"You promised me the choice once we reached your home."
His lips curled away from his teeth but it wasn't a smile. There was nothing friendly about the expression at all. She gasped, jumping away from the challenge lurking in his eyes. She stood too close to the bed and her first step knocked her knees out from under her. Warren followed her down, his hands pressing into the thick coverlet on either side of her body.
"You've got a choice all right." He paused, his body looming over hers. "You can choose to have me toss your skirts up and take you fast enough to drive all this nonsense out of your mind or..."
He reached out and stroked her cheek with a tender hand. She shivered, the touch sending a
ripple of pleasure down her back. It traveled over her breasts until her nipples puckered behind her stays.
Warren leaned closer and she felt his breath teasing her ear. "Or I can show you what it's like to make love
in a bed. Think about it, Lorena. I want to undress you and kiss every patch of skin I uncover before I tumble you among the silk sheets."
She gasped, more excited than shocked.
"Is that a yes to seduction?" He lifted his head, cupping her chin in a firm grasp. "Or an invitation to ravish you?" His grasp tightened
and one of his knees hit the bed. "That is your choice."
He was too sure of himself. "You are arrogant, Warren Rawlins."
His expression said he agreed with her and was completely unrepentant. Something inside her snapped, breaking through the control that everyone except Warren saw. Reaching down, she
curled her hand around his thick length. It was bold and ungentle, but satisfaction swept through her when his breath caught. Slipping her hand up to the crown of it, she closed her fingers so that his width was completely wrapped in her grip. His lips curled back, showing her gritted teeth.
"Perhaps it is time for you to listen instead of giving out orders, Captain. We are on land after all." Pressing her hand all the way down his length, she drew it back to the crown in a slow motion while watching his face to see how it affected him. The man could drive her insane with one finger on her spread sex. It seemed quite time to discover if his body was as receptive to her hand.
"I'm interested in entertaining your argument." His tone was still arrogant.
Working her hand up and down his length, she listened to his breathing. Her cheeks burned but she refused to stop.
"Maybe..." Words failed her for a moment, because she'd just never envisioned such a conversation before. But excitement tightened her belly, urging her onward. "Maybe you should lie on your back and wait for me."
"Wait for you to what?"
He was toying with her. A soft kiss landing on her neck before she heard him chuckle. A
frustrated huff left Lorena's lips and her hand froze on his staff. "You shall never know if you do not follow my instructions. Captain..."
The bed rocked as Warren rolled onto his back. His lips were set into that roguish grin
and he folded his hands behind his head. The pose looked so relaxed, but she didn't trust it. The ridges of lean muscle covering his body reminded her of a tiger she'd once seen at the menagerie.
The animal could jump ten feet in one leap.
"I await your whim.. .Lorena."
There was a dark promise in his voice. But there was an equal need inside her. With no rules, and no one judging her, the opportunity his body presented was too much to ignore. She wanted to touch him. Wanted to be the one pushing him past his resolve.
"Touch me." His voice was tempting now, a hint of need turning it raspy. Hunger flickered in his eyes. Eyes that he kept on her face. "Take control."
She shivered. Her mouth went dry and she licked her lower lip. His gaze followed the tip of her tongue.
"Go on."
Her hand was moving before she thought about it. Smoothing along his belly and toward his
cock once more. His skin was so warm, almost hot. Soft but covering hard muscle. Clasping her fingers around his cock, she began moving her hand up and down it once more. His eyes
narrowed, pleasure showing on his face. His chest rumbled with a sound that was part growl and part enjoyment. She actually watched it ripple across his skin, gooseflesh rising up to cover him.
Hunger burned brightly in his eyes, his teasing mood dying in a flash of passion.
"My apologies." His tone was hard once more. "But control is something a captain has trouble relinquishing for very long."
He sat up in a smooth motion, the bed rocking beneath them. His hand slid along the side of her face, cupping it with warm fingers.
"But I believe that is something you enjoy about my nature."
"That doesn't mean we should many."
His face tightened, the fingers cradling her cheek slipping into her hair where he gripped it. He lowered his face until his mouth was poised above her own.
"No, madam, what makes me think marrying you would be a good idea is the way you so boldly reached for my cock."
"Lust is a sin."
"So is marrying a bastard like Mordaunt. He doesn't deserve you." His kiss blocked out her reply.
There was no teasing now, only a hungry demand for submission as he pressed her lips apart. His tongue thrust sure and deep into her mouth, taking possession. But he ripped his head away the moment she reached for him.
He pushed her across his body, the beautiful silk gown became twisted, the skirt rising above her knees. She tried to keep her face away from the coverlet, but a solid hand in the center of her back held her down.
"Lust is a prerequisite for affection, no matter what anyone says. The spark between us is something worth savoring."
He popped the lace holding her dress closed. The sound was loud in the still room. She heard the cord sliding out of the lacing holes. She tried to rise up again, to answer him, but he pushed her head back down and attacked her corset ties now that her dress was open.
"Behind that closed door, we don't have to play society's game. I, for one, plan to enjoy our privacy."
He flipped her over, dumping her into the center of the bed. She wasn't even sure how he
managed to lift her, but her weight didn't seem to burden him. She landed in a jumble of silk and limbs, the thick coverlet giving under her weight and allowing her to sink into the feather mattress. With her dress unlaced, it was practically suffocating, the mountains of silk and coverlets rising up above her face.
Warren rose above her, his hands gripping her dress. He tugged it up and her legs lifted off the bed so the unlaced garment might slip right off her. Somehow, he'd opened her petticoat
waistband too, and she fell back onto the bed in only her drawers and stockings. He had one shoe off before she managed to raise her head out of the bedding.
"Warren."
She sounded too breathless. He dropped her shoe and took off the other one in a swift motion.
"I like the look of you against my bed." He found the top of her stocking and pulled it down her leg. "I'm going to like it even more when you are wearing nothing but creamy skin."
She shivered, the candle burning on the center table catching her attention. It was only one single flame, but it cast a yellow glow over them both. Her stockings were gone, and he reached for the top of her drawers. With a gasp she gripped the cotton, clamping her arms down on her sides to hold her open corset over her breasts.
"It was always dark before." There was a tremor in her voice that turned her cheeks pink. His mother was beautiful and the women attending her celebration party far more pretty than she.
Warren paused, his face becoming unreadable. His gaze traveled along her body, slowly moving over every part of her. The candlelight bathed him, casting his body in gold. It suited him though, his body was perfection.
"You seem to enjoy seeing me."
She jerked her attention back to his face. "That's different."
"Because I'm a man?" He didn't sound pleased.
She shook her head. Vanity had never been important to her before, but tonight she wanted to be pretty, actually more beautiful than any woman he'd ever had in his bed. She wanted him to
always remember her. His forehead furrowed while he contemplated her.
He suddenly stretched out beside her, his body lying half on hers. A sigh passed her lips. She reached for him, delighted to have him in contact with her. It was safe and secure. As insane as it was, it satisfied some need deep inside her, a need to be wanted just as she was.
"I'm not a man of soft words, Lorena."
She laughed. "I believe my clothing thrown about your bedroom is proof of that."
His fingers teased her face, tipping her head up until their eyes met. Her breath caught when she saw what was shimmering in those eyes. Tenderness shone back at her. From Warren it gained
even more intensity because it was the only softness she had ever witnessed in him.
; "I've never read a book of poetry in my life and that's not likely to change." His hands rested on her cheeks, keeping her head in place. "But don't doubt for a moment that I found you so alluring I couldn't resist you, even knowing that taking you was something I'd live with the rest of my life."
He kissed her, a long, sweet kiss that lingered. Her fingers curled into his hair, holding him close.
He trailed his lips across her cheek, leaving tiny kisses on her skin.
"I've met every pretty girl downstairs and none of them has ever pushed me far enough to disregard my honor."
It was a confession. One that hit her ears in a raspy tone almost too low to hear. Even if she barely heard his words, her heart did. Each one ripped into her need to return to Britain.
Warren raised his head, capturing her gaze with his once more. "I just abducted you from my mother's party and I don't care. The only two people I answer to in this world are my parents, Lorena." His eyes flashed with emotion. "All that matters anymore is getting you here, with me.
It may not be poetic, but it's honest."
It was perfect
And she didn't want to think beyond that. She let the corset go and sighed when he swept it down her body. The night was cool but he was warm against her. Her drawers followed, allowing her legs to part and grip his hips. It was decadent. Pleasure flowed through her. Warren pressed her down, kissing every part of her. A shoulder and on to her collarbone. He trailed his mouth to the swell of one breast, the skin rippling with anticipation. He slid his hands beneath her back to lift her toward his mouth, the puckered nipple sitting on top of that breast rising up like an offering.
Her back arched, making sure her nipple was lifted high. Need swirled through her. Excitement pulsing deep inside her passage. But her nipple wanted
his lips on it. The small bit of her body clamoring for its turn to be touched.
She cried out when he touched it. With just the tip of his tongue. Pleasure flared out and over her, sending her twisting in a mindless motion there was no controlling.
Warren held her, his hands keeping her body in place. His mouth closed over her nipple as he sucked it. She'd never imagined anything might be so hot. His mouth burned her skin without the pain. Instead there were spikes of sensation spearing through her. Hot streams of need pouring down her body until it pooled in her belly. Her passage felt empty. So empty she ached.